Blood Haven: Year Two: A Mayhem of Magic World Story Page 6

  I hang my head. It took me a long time before I admitted what happened to Tyra. She never asked, and I never told her this, but my blood saved Julian’s life that night.

  “Do you want to tempt fate?” Tyra asks.

  “No, but I don’t believe in fate.”

  “You and your free will.” She snorts. “My father is as manipulative as yours. Demons don’t believe in free will.”

  “Of course they don’t, but we aren’t demons.”

  “Just their offspring, and the apple generally doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  “Do you honestly think that we’re going to end up like our fathers?”

  “No. I just think that we need to be careful, and by we, I mean you. You and Julian.”

  “Why do you hate to say his name?” I ask. “Half the time, you don’t?”

  “There aren’t any vampires who attend here with that name,” she murmurs.

  “Plenty of humans do.”

  “Yes, but vampires don’t care for vampires who want to date humans. That’s almost worse than what you and Julian are doing.”

  “Hello, ladies,” Constantine says, strolling over. “Romelia, how are you?”

  “I was doing better a minute ago,” I say.

  “I have your gown all picked out. I’ll have it delivered to your room tomorrow. Are you excited?”

  “Constantine, I’m not—”

  “You will.” He grins. “You will look so exquisite. I cannot wait to dance with you. Do not keep me waiting. We have to leave precisely at five on the dot to make our dinner reservation. You will love it.”

  “I would love it if you would listen to me. Constantine, please, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. I won’t be going.”

  “I will see you then.”

  With a bow, he walks off.

  Tyra turns her head to watch him go. “Man, does he have a stick up his—”

  My phone rings. I scowl.

  “It’s not your mother, is it?” she asks.

  “Worse. It’s my father.”

  “Are you going to answer?”

  As much as I don’t want to, I do.

  “Romelia,” my father says in that silky smooth tone he always uses when he wants someone to do his will.

  “Father,” I say evenly.

  “What are your plans for the follow evening?”

  “I plan on drawing pictures.”

  “You do know what tomorrow night is, don’t you?”

  “Of course. The moon will be blood-red, and I will be able to attempt to draw her likeness. It will be splendid, Father.”

  “No, you do not draw the red moon. You experience it. You will attend dinner and then the ball with Constantine.”

  “Why, Father? Why should I? Do you know how he talks to me? How he acts like he owns me? Do you have any idea why he would be under that impression, Father?”

  “You will do as I say.”

  “Or?” I ask dryly.

  “You might not like what comes next.”

  “How classy. A demon threatening his own daughter. What am I, just a pawn to you?”

  “You wonder why Constantine talks to you as he does. Maybe that is how one must talk to you to get you to stand in line.”

  A strange feeling washes over me. My arms, my back, my legs, all of it tingles, and despite my wishes, I find myself standing.

  Standing as straight as possible.

  Standing in line.

  “Father?”

  “You will do as I say.”

  And he hangs up.

  The strange tingling sensation flees, and I look down at Tyra, who is just climbing to her feet.

  “Romelia, you’re as white as snow. What happened? What did he say?”

  “I need to go have a chat with a professor,” I mumble.

  And I’m gone in the blink of an eye.

  Chapter 9

  Romelia

  Professor Christina Le Doux eyes me. “You are certain of this? It is a rather serious allegation.”

  “If I wasn’t worried, I wouldn’t be here,” I confess, “and I’m worried. I don’t want to lose my free will.”

  “I know that demons can be rather… controlling… but to go to the lengths of demonic possession…”

  “I don’t know if my father will go to that extent or not, but I do not want to be his puppet, and I will not just do what he wishes for me. I am my own person, and I won’t be the subject of… He told me to stand in line, and I stood! My body, the tingling sensation…”

  “Yes, I will admit that it does sound like mind control,” the professor of Mind Control says slowly, “but if he can accomplish that over the phone means your father is quite capable and formidable.”

  "Capable? Check. Formidable? Double check," I mumble. "What can I do to make sure he can't control my mind? And I really do think that if I stop him from controlling my mind, he'll go to the next step of possession. He really wants…" I just shake my head.

  Professor Christina Le Doux smiles kindly at me. “This course is more to teach how to use mind control on humans more than to protect oneself against it, but I suppose… Yes.”

  She opens several drawers at her desk, rummages around, and then removes a small bag. Inside the black velvet bag is a necklace, the ribbon black, with gemstones arranged to form a man with two shields on either side.

  Professor Christina Le Doux points to the gemstone shields. “Clear quartz is said to help clear one’s mind.”

  “But a clearer mind is easier to control, isn’t it?” I ask apprehensively. “Won’t that make it easier for him to control me?”

  “No, my dear. It will make it easier for you to maintain control of yourself. This…” Her pinky traces the man. “This talisman is labradorite.”

  It’s beautiful, the gemstone, the light from the candle burning on her desk making the man flash a light green, a deep red, a bright gold, and a peacock blue. He’s a swirl of colors that make the necklace look beautiful but also haunting.

  “Labradorite helps the wearer to resist undesirable and unwelcomed energy and intrusion. A labradorite this size should give you a considerable amount of protection, but nothing is foolproof, and the older your father is, the stronger he will be. A token like this will only help you so much, and I'm afraid I can think of nothing else in my possession that might aid you. I can try to do some digging, but my hands are rather tied. The classwork is just beginning, and I'm teaching so many classes. The academy has more students than ever before this year, and—"

  “I thank you for this.” I reach for the necklace, but she shakes her head and motions for me to turn around.

  She ties the necklace on for me. "If I were you, I would try to prevent your father from seeing that," she warns. "The design of it makes it quite clear what it's meant to do. The creator had never been one to hide her talents."

  “Who made this?” I ask. My fingers brush against it, and my mind instantly is freed of some of my worries.

  “A voodoo witch.” Professor Christina chuckles as I gaze at her. “With a name like Le Doux, you had to realize I hail from New Orleans.”

  “I thought you were from France, not New Orleans.”

  She chuckles again. "My ancestors came from France and transplanted ourselves to New Orleans. We helped to shape the culture there along with the voodoo witches. There was peace in the French Quarter for a time, but that peace has long since died away. That city houses so many supernatural creatures now."

  “No academies, though.”

  “No! It would be asking for a bloodbath, but then again, that’s what we have here with Moonstone Academy being so close.” She shakes her head. “I would have thought you would ask for something to protect against werewolves than demons.”

  “When you have one enemy…”

  “Do you have only one?” Professor Christina Le Doux asks sharply.

  “Only one that worries me.”

  “And you should be. Vampires aren’t the only ones t
o draw power from the blood moon.”

  I swallow hard. “Thank you again.”

  “You do not need to thank me. You need to focus on yourself and your safety.”

  I nod and start toward the door.

  “Perhaps I am overstepping, but may I ask a question?”

  “You may, but…”

  “You might not answer. Fair enough. Romelia, you have already shown yourself to be a conscientious student. Did you purposely fail those courses last year to make it necessary for you to be here over the break?”

  I hesitate. “There might have been a few reasons behind that,” I say carefully.

  She dips her head, and I flee.

  Tomorrow night is the party.

  I will do as I wish.

  Not as Constantine wishes.

  Not as my father wishes.

  My fate is my own. My will is still free.

  If I am to die, it will not be by either of their hands.

  Maybe those pictures of mine are more a premonition than I ever intended them to be.

  “You do not have to wear fancy clothes to try to impress me,” Julian protests.

  The Red Moon Ball is about to start, but I am not on campus. I’m with Julian, at our spot in the cave behind the waterfall at Crystal Creek Cascades.

  “I know, but I thought you might like it.” I dip my head shyly.

  “I love you. What you wear doesn’t matter.”

  He kisses my hand and slowly has me turn.

  I'm wearing a hooped gown, one from my mother that I updated. The gown itself is as black as the darkest night, but the overlay is a blood-red crushed velvet that drapes along my arms in hanging sleeves lined with black lace. The two pieces of the overlay are tied together in crisscrossing red thread like a corset. More black lace rests along the seam of the overlay where a triangle of the black gown is visible.

  Around my neck is a thick collar, the same crushed velvet as the overlay, lined again with black lace. It conceals the necklace meant to protect my mind, and I left my phone behind on campus. No one will be able to get a hold of me, not even Tyra. A bang strikes me at that realization, but she should be all right. No werewolves have a reason to attend this year, although I am forever grateful that a trio attended last year.

  “So perfect except…” Julian holds onto my left hand.

  As before, he goes down onto one knee.

  I giggle. “Julian, stand! You already asked, and I already answered! Unless… do you want to—”

  “Romelia, I asked, and you answered, but normally—”

  “Nothing about our relationship is normal.”

  “Which is why the ring I bought isn’t a diamond ring.”

  And he produces a ring from inside his tuxedo. For all of his talk about my wearing fancy clothes, he likes to dress up as well.

  I stare deeply into his light green eyes before he holds up the ring so high that I have no choice but to look at it instead.

  A gasp leaves my lips, and at my nod, he places the ring on my finger.

  The ring itself is platinum, covered in crystals along the side. The center stone is a huge marquise garnet. A gothic setting of crystals forms a six-sided point to raise the garnet, clinging to the stone with tiny claws.

  “It’s beautiful,” I breathe.

  “Do you like it?” Julian asks.

  “Yes, but how were you able to afford this?”

  “I haven’t been sleeping much. I’ve been mining.”

  “Mining!”

  “At Mineral Creek, down that way.” He nods toward the south.

  Beyond the cascades, is a small area full of rocks and quarries. Dwarves tend to work there.

  “But what if you come across silver?” I ask.

  "The dwarves have been mining there for centuries. They know where I can dig. Instead of paying me, I get to keep what I've dug."

  “You mean…”

  "Yes," he says proudly. "I found each one of those crystals. The garnet, that I bartered for. I'm more likely to find crystals than anything else, but I did find a sapphire in the shape of a nearly perfect heart. I thought about keeping it, but Glandil found the garnet two days later, and I had to have it."

  “It’s so perfect. Julian… You shouldn’t feel the need to spoil me.”

  “Why not? You’re my girl.” He sweeps me into his arms.

  “Exactly why not! I’m already yours.”

  “I’m not buying you,” he says slowly. “I didn’t think it would upset you. It’s a token of my life.”

  “No, you misunderstand. I… I wish I had something to give you that you can wear.”

  He reaches beneath his shirt to reveal a vial of my blood attached to a black cord. "I already do."

  “Yes, but it’s hidden away.”

  “Close to my heart.” Julian tucks it back where it goes. “Isn’t that what matters?”

  “I suppose.”

  “You suppose?”

  Julian shakes his head as he twirls me, and we begin to dance until our hearts are frantically beating, and we have to pause for a breath. He sits on a stone and I the floor, my head on his lap as he brushes his fingers along my neck.

  “Are you happy?” he asks, breaking the silence.

  “Perfectly so. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “None of your friends are here.”

  “What does that matter? I’m here with you. Julian, what’s gotten into you?”

  He exhales a deep breath. “I’ve been wondering if you would like to meet my friends.”

  “Bermon and Mercy.”

  He nods. “And I can meet Tyra.”

  “I don’t know. If we do, I don’t think it should be all five of us at the same time.”

  “You don’t think Tyra can behave?”

  “Do you think Mercy will?”

  “My mom…” He grimaces. “I tried to talk to her about you. I told her about how I felt like I’ve known you forever, how we understand each other, and she thought I was talking about Mercy at first.”

  “Well, at least your mother has realized that you found someone,” I say. “My father is still insisting that I—”

  “Give Constantine a chance?”

  "No, it's more than that," I murmur. "Constantine wants me to be with him. Full stop."

  "And he is still giving you problems."

  “I ignore him as much as I can.”

  "But you having the same courses as he does doesn't make matters easier on you."

  "No." I pull back to stare up at Julian. "I didn't want to tell you this because I wanted tonight to be perfect, but since they've already been mentioned… My father has threatened me. He may have tried to compel me over the phone."

  Julian sits unnaturally still.

  I hurry to my feet. "You cannot go after my father. Julian, he will kill you. We… We just need to be careful, and I've taken a precaution."

  I slowly reach up and untie the neck collar to reveal the necklace. The blood moon’s light shines inside the cave, and I’m close enough to the entrance that its rays reflect off the man, giving him a ghoulish reddish hue that overwhelms the other colors in the gemstone.

  Julian works his jaw. “I don’t want you to be in any danger.”

  "We will be together. We will wed, and we will have the future we want," I vow to my love. "I promise you that. No matter what happens, you will have me. No one and nothing can keep us apart. Our friends have come around. Your parents might. If you want me to meet them, I would love to. I think… I think they might love me more than my own parents will if they're given a chance, and I would like that so very much."

  I blink and blink again, so many times, desperate to hold back tears.

  Julian stands and holds me against him, rubbing my back.

  I don’t cry, and without a word, we start to dance again. We do not speak of those who seek to keep us apart, and the rest of the night is magical, pure joy. It’s just the two of us, and my heart is filled with love, only love. There’s no room in me for
even an ounce of worry or fear.

  We dance until the blood moon has started to fall heavily in the sky. Dawn is maybe four hours away.

  “You should return,” Julian murmurs.

  “If I must.”

  “One day, we will never have to say goodbye,” he whispers before he kisses me.

  “We don’t have to now. Until tomorrow. Until we speak again. Until—”

  “Until we are one,” he murmurs.

  This kiss is another promise, one that I will never ever break.

  Chapter 10

  Julian

  I don’t want to leave Romelia. If I could, I never would.

  But what kind of life would we enjoy together? What profession would she enter? What will I do? The mining has been fun, but the main source of my enjoyment came from the knowledge that the stones would be for Romelia. The dwarves are nice enough, but they aren’t a part of my pack. No amount of time with them would change that fact.

  Attending Moonstone Academy isn’t meant to give werewolves a profession outside in the world. That is supposed to be assigned by the alpha of our individual packs. I haven’t spoken with our alpha in years and years. Most alphas will take into consideration the traits and wishes of those in his pack and grant them the freedom to pursue the career they wish to study.

  When I first came to Moonstone Academy, I figured I had three years to figure out my future. Now, the future is even more uncertain. I would’ve thought knowing who I want to spend the rest of my life with would make the future clearer, but that’s not the case at all.

  Honestly, I’m not supposed to pick my own mate either. Most of the time, the alpha will allow those who love each other to be mated together, but there are times when there are politics involved even with werewolf packs, especially when it comes to trying to unite and merge the packs.

  Before the renewed hatred between the vampires and werewolves of Blood Haven and Moonstone Academies, the most violence I saw was involved between warring packs. For the most part, alphas prefer to maintain peace, but not all alphas are good ones. Not all alphas are created equal.

  My alpha, Jackery Moonblaze, is my dad's uncle. My parents had me when they were twenty, so Dad is thirty-seven. Our alpha might be Dad's uncle, but he's only five years older. Jackery is one of the youngest alphas around. His dad died young from a heart attack. Normally, stuff like that won't kill a werewolf, but the heart attack makes you pass out when driving in a car over a bridge… Yes, even werewolves can't handle all of that happening at once. He drowned but only because of the heart attack.